Rangers will be playing top flight football next season after clinching the Ladbrokes Championship with a narrow 1-0 home win over Dumbarton.

After re-emerging at the bottom tier of Scottish football in 2012 in the wake of their financial meltdown, the Govan club's trek to the Premiership ended with a second half goal from right-back James Tavernier in front of a packed but often subdued Ibrox.

The Gers fans, who have stuck by the club in huge numbers throughout the lower league campaigns deserved to cheer long and loud into the Govan night although it was less than thrilling fare they were served up.

Last season's failure to get out of the second tier was embarrassing for a club whose wage bill has dwarfed every team they have played in the three lower leagues but boss Mark Warburton ensured the remit he was given when he arrived last summer was achieved.